Well Worn Photo
by Originals101
Summary: Pictures say a thousand words, yet memories can fill entire books. What happens when you have both?


I do not own TVD or any affiliates.

Two days before Thanksgiving, the sounds of children laughing and smiling about the fact that for the rest of week there was no school. Parents' are bustling about getting ready for extended family to come over to enjoy a day filled with giving thanks and lots of food. The football team was getting ready for the big game that is to happen that Thursday morning against their rivals from the next town over. Cheerleaders are getting their last minute practice in before the big game, while the band practices the formation of the line for not only the football game, but the parade that leads up to it. The parade committee were doing finishing touches on the Thanksgiving Day Parade that was going to go around the entire town before ending at the big game, while other committees prepared homemade dinners for the senior citizens and the homeless of the town, for them to have a fresh hot meal on the special day.

Almost everyone had a smile on their face, but the Sheriff, who had holed herself up in her office, since that morning to look over old cases and drown in the emotional atmosphere she took up this time of year. Glancing to the top drawer, she finally decided that her productivity was sub par at best and taking a break to look at the photo wouldn't hurt her more than the memories it brought could. Pulling out an old crinkled photo, the blonde choked back a sob; it had been eighteen years since she had seen the mega watt smile on the girl's face, in person. The old black and white photo had been the last photo she had taken with her baby sister, it had been a Friday night right after a football game, back when the Timberwolves of Mystic Falls High School actually won them; her sister had gotten the honor of singing the National Anthem before the game. She and her newly wed husband, Bill, had bundled up in sweaters with a blanket thrown over their legs with a canister of hot chocolate to share and watch the game, they had been married only a few months and still enjoying the bliss of being newlyweds.

It was the next night that she had gone missing, the body of her baby sister was never found, and she had lost part of herself that day. Her sister had been a huge fan of music and had somehow convinced not only their parents, but Liz, herself, that she should be able to road trip with four of her friends all the way to New York to go to a music festival, they held every year in November. Looking back, Liz could tell that she had been busy with her new marriage to truly pay attention to the fact that she should of never let her fifteen year old sister go that far away without an adult supervision, it still scared her whenever her seventeen year old daughter went to Georgia to visit Bill, her father, alone. It was one of the reasons she had chosen to become a cop was because she wanted to help close those wounds that were ripped open when someone went missing or died, and were never found, she wanted to find them or help bring justice to them so that the family could start the healing process and not be weighed down by the possibilities and what-ifs that she herself had regarding her baby sister. Was her sister still alive? Had she suffered? What had happened that night? Would she still be alive if their parents had said no? Would she still be alive if Liz, herself, had taken her? Why had it been her sister? Why not the four other friends that had gone along with her to New York? How many more years would it be before a cop comes to her door and says they finally found her? How come it was taking so long to find the answers?

Liz couldn't find the strength to put the photo back; this year had been just as emotional as the year before. Both of her sister's friends were dead, murdered because of the supernatural, the last two people that had the same strong connection she, herself, had with her sister, them being Mason Lockwood and Jenna Sommers. Mason had gone missing, similarly to what happened to her sister, his body hadn't been found but after seven months he was now presumed dead. Jenna had died in a supernatural ritual along with John Gilbert. The year before wasn't much better when her own best friend, Miranda had died along with her husband Grayson, leaving behind two devastated teens.

Her own daughter, Caroline, had been murdered that February and even though she didn't love the fact that her daughter was now the thing that she had grown up despising, a vampire, she couldn't help but find relief in the fact that she didn't have to bury her own daughter. She had broken down crying when the doctors told her that Caroline might end up in a coma for a few days, it had been right around the time of her sister's birthday and she couldn't help but connect the two together even though they were two different situations.

Tears rolled down her face at remembering that smile, it was the same smile her daughter gave when she was talking about singing or the newest fashion trend that she loved. It still amazed her that even though her daughter never got to meet her Aunt, that they could have so much in common, the green flecks in the iris that her daughter had were the same exact shade as her sister's eyes. Their love of music was shared ever since a five-year-old Caroline had found old albums of her baby sister's favorite songs. Liz had even made Caroline's middle name that of her baby sister's in remembrance of her.

Running her thumb over the well-worn photo she missed the sound of the door opening and before she could hide the photo that she only took out on her sister's birthday and the day she went missing. She gasped when she heard the males voice saying, "Liz shouldn't you be home by now? I bet Caroline has a full list of things that need to be done for Thursday." Damon shook his head in memory, Caroline had been at the boarding house that morning forcing a newly humanitized Stefan into making pilgrim hats and bonnets for the local Thanksgiving Parade that was to happen in two days.

Looking up she saw the traditional smirk firmly planted on her best friend's face falter when he noticed the tear tracks going down her cheeks smearing what little makeup she did put on, "Damon."

In an instant Damon was by her side, his critical blue eyes scanning for injuries that he wouldn't find, "Liz what happened?"

"Nothing."

Quirking his black eyebrows in contemplation, "nothing. I know you. You wouldn't cry over nothing." He stopped then seeing the photo that now laid flat on the wood desk, he picked it up analyzing the picture, "you had long hair?" frowning when he looked back over trying to visualize the short blonde hair she now sported for the long blonde locks that were similar in length to Caroline.

He smiled when she chuckled, most likely getting the reaction he wanted, as he turned over the photo to read the words on the back, 'Liz and Mariah Nov 22 1991.' Handing the photo back it was Liz's turn to break the stillness the room seemed to envelope, "you're not going to ask about who she is?"

Damon shook his head, before uttering a three little words that almost knocked her off her chair, "About who? Mari."

Damon reached into his pocket of his jeans and grabbing his sleek black cell he started to dial the well known phone number. He let it ring for a moment before the line clicked and a youthful voice started up, "Hey you reached the voicemail of Mariah leave a name at the end of the beep … beep."

Liz was shocked at the voice, tears pooling in her brown eyes of the voice that she could only hear from tapes that her sister recorded of herself singing, she felt disappointed that it was only Mariah's voicemail, but crinkled her nose in confusion when Damon rolled his eyes and started smiling before starting to talk, "Damon. Hey you never told me you had such a lovely sister."

Liz almost reached for the cell that was on speakerphone when the youthful voice of her sister popped back on, "Damy, you never asked. Wait what? How did you … where are you? She'd kill me. If you haven't forgotten founding families and fangs don't mix," Mariah spoke quickly her voice going up and down it rapid succession based on the multitude of emotions she thought she had buried years prior.

"Well you got a niece with fangs, so if she hasn't killed her I doubt she is going to kill you."

"I got a niece? Wait Liz is okay with that? Does my niece need help with the whole blood thing? How old is she? What does she look like? How old in vamp years? What is she like? What happened to her? Well aren't you going to tell me?" speaking in lightning speed, Damon could hear her shuffling and throwing soft items, most likely clothes into a suitcase.

"Slow down. Why don't you come to the boarding house and we can have a sit down."

"Yeah. Does she know, already?" Mariah' spoke her voice going low when she finally let it sink in that she was going to be reunited with her family. "Does she still want to be my sister?" It was spoken in a whisper that Liz had to strain to hear and Damon looked at Liz the same question in his eyes.

Having kept quiet so far Liz had to take a breath before answering her voice firm, "Yes. You're still my baby sister, Mars."

"Elis," Mariah choked out before the line was then filled with the crying of both Forbes, Damon stood awkwardly holding the phone next to Liz that seemed to collapse into the leather back chair, as a fresh set of tears flowed out of Liz's eyes. The nickname 'Elis' was one that only Mariah had called Liz, the same with Liz being the only one to call Mariah, 'Mars'.

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